Why Americans Should Be Able to Import Drugs (Sen. Chuck Grassley)

Making it legal for Americans to import their prescription drugs is a top priority at the grass roots. It needs to be a top priority here in Washington. I have long advocated allowing American consumers access to safe drugs from other countries. I have always considered it a free-trade issue. Imports create competition and keep domestic industry more responsive to consumers. In the United States, we import everything consumers want. So why not pharmaceuticals?

Consumers in the United States pay far more for prescription drugs than those in other counties. If Americans could legally and safely access prescription drugs outside the United States, then drug companies will be forced to re-evaluate their pricing strategies. They’d no longer be able to gouge American consumers by making them pay more than their fair share of the high cost of research and development.